CORONADO (KGTV) — Crowds gathered outside Naval Air Station North Island on Thursday to welcome home sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln after a 320-day deployment.
Strangers and lifelong friends lined First Street and Fourth Street near the base’s entrances, catching a glimpse of the carrier in the distance, and cheer on the sailors as they came off base.
The City of Coronado encouraged people to begin gathering shortly before 2 p.m., continuing a tradition of welcoming service members home from carrier deployments.
“Well, I just want to show my support,” Gina Maruska said. “They've been out there defending our country and keeping our freedoms and safety alive and well, and the least we could do is come out here and cheer them home.”
Maruska said the record-breaking deployment, which drew heightened public attention and criticism, made the homecoming feel historic. She wanted sailors to feel the community’s gratitude, even from strangers.
"That's my hope is to be here to support them so that they can tell their experience, what their journey was like, and actually express what they've gone through, because I don't think it should be told in third person," Maruska said.
Children also lined the sidewalks, some seeing the carrier for the first time and others celebrating for kids finally getting their deployed parents home.
One of those children was Gwen, who said her father is currently away on a deployment.
“I'm so happy to see those carriers because my dad is on a trip too. I get it. It's hard, but I'm glad that their family is back,” Gwen said.
The crowd also included longtime friends eager to reunite with sailors they had known for years.
Kellin Bail came to welcome home a friend he said he has known since kindergarten. Bail said he planned to get his friend some food before helping him get home to his family.
"Josh and I met when we were like five or six years old, and we grew up in the same hometown," Bail said. " We're planning to get some good food in his belly tonight and get him home to his family tomorrow, because his second baby daughter was born while he was out on deployment."
As sailors began leaving the base, community members continued showing their support through acts of kindness. Some Coronado residents even offered golf cart rides to help sailors get to where they needed to go.
